I'm tired of fighting with my maple tree for lawn space... I've given up on trying to grow any grass under it... For the past 3 years or so I've been tossing chopped up leaves around the trunk and out about 4 feet... Unfortunately it decomposes too quickly... I've been thinking about putting down wood chips, maybe out about 10 feet...

What kind of problems am I likely to encounter?

How deep should the wood chips be to control the weeds and grass? ( I just know the grass will try to grow there if I put down wood chips. LOL )

How can I get those pesky seeds out of the wood chips or keep them from sprouting?

Any other suggestions to cover the dirt under the tree?

Rita